AWAY WE GO Movie Review

I wanted to see Away We Go ever since I watched the trailer. Not that I was expecting it to blow me away, but I was expecting a nice, entertaining movie with an independent feel. What I got was so much more.

I recommended earlier this week that you see this movie in theaters based on the trailer, but now that I have seen it, I can confirm with certainty that this is a movie you shouldn’t miss this week.

Away We Go follows a couple, Burt and Verona (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph), who get pregnant and are faced with figuring out what to do next in their lives. The original plan was for Burt’s parents (Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels) to help them, since after all they moved to be close to them. Turns out Burt’s parents had other plans, like moving to Europe for two years right before the baby’s due date. With that option out the window, Burt and Verona decide to leave and take a trip around America to try and figure out where they want to live and raise their kid. They decide to visit cities in which they have either friends or family, hoping to already create a friend/family base before moving there.

Turns out Burt and Verona’s friends and family are quite the interesting bunch. Between a crazy ex-boss (Allison Janney), a hippie childhood friend (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and more it makes for a pretty crazy ride.

I cannot tell you how funny this movie is. I don’t think I realized how hilarious it would be, but it is, while at the same time feeling so true and real.

I think what makes Away We Go such an incredible movie, is how simple but true the relationship between Burt and Verona is portrayed. And for that, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph have to be praised.

Some of you might know John Krasinski as Jim from “The Office,” and I’ll be honest, he really impressed me in this movie. Why? Because I’m used to him being funny on “The Office” by using a lot of facial expressions and a lot of not so subtle ways (which I of course love). But in Away We Go, he manages to totally transform into this character and make us laugh but in a totally different way. It’s not about “see I made a joke” type of thing, it’s a lot more subtle than that. The character of Burt himself is a funny guy and does some foolish stuff along the way that is hilarious. And I think that for an actor it’s something that is hard to create because it can’t seem forced otherwise it doesn’t work. That’s why I have to give props to John Krasinksi, because he was able to make it feel real.

As for Maya Rudolph, I had seen her once or twice on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ but since I don’t usually watch the show, I didn’t really know what to expect from her. I think she definitely holds her own in the movie. To me she really was that character, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her.

I also have to mention the story, because it was such a well thought out story from beginning to end. It’s really hard not to fall in the trap of just writing a cliche relationship/independent type of movie. We’ve seen those a million times and the only thing that differentiates an enjoyable movie from a great one is the story. In Away We Go, each character is defined perfectly, and each have their own issues to deal with. It’s really a three dimensional world that we are brought into, and the way that it all comes together in the end is really brilliant.

Finally, the movie wouldn’t be what it is without such a great director. The funny thing is that when I went to see Away We Go, I had totally forgotten that Sam Mendes directed it. And the whole time I’m going “this is so good, the acting is amazing, the story is amazing, the pace is amazing…” you get the point, and so when I see Sam Mendes’ name at the end I went “oh, then that makes total sense, of course it was amazing.” Sam Mendes is a director I really love. I really think he brings the best out of actors and really knows how to tell a story. And so I think we can just add Away We Go as another one of his great films.

As you can probably tell, I really loved Away We Go and I urge you to see it this weekend. If you do see it, make sure to let me know whether you enjoyed it as well.